Chris Paul made his Golden State Warriors debut in a preseason victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The veteran guard was part of Steve Kerr‘s starting five, lining up at the point guard position with Steph Curry occupying the two-guard spot. The Warriors won the contest, 125-108.
When speaking to the media following the game, Kerr discussed Paul’s impact and how his presence allowed the Warriors to control the pace. Kerr also shared his enjoyment of having Paul on his roster rather than game planning to slow him, as was the case until Paul joined the franchise earlier this summer.
“There’s a pace to the game that is fun to watch as a coach, where you just kind of know he’s going to be making the right play over and over,” Kerr said. “He understands when we need to pull it back and get into an action, or play faster, because he understands the rhythm of the game. So, Chris is amazing. Really fun to have him on our side, finally.”
Paul ended the contest with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Kerr opted to keep his starting unit’s minutes limited and instead opted to give some of the team’s younger talent an opportunity to impress. As such, Paul ended the game with 12:54 of playing time, as did Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney. Andrew Wiggins played almost one minute more.
"Really fun to have him on our side."
Steve Kerr continues to be impressed with Chris Paul's understanding of the game pic.twitter.com/BEVZTwrHJF
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 8, 2023
Golden State will have almost a week until its next preseason game. They will face the Lakers on Friday, Oct. 13.
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